It's a story about an ordinary good man who becomes a great governor, almost by accident, but has to do bad things (normal politcal machinations, really) to accomplish his great works. He really works for the great masses of poor in his state, displacing the hogs that normally feed at the trough. Obviously the hogs are not too pleased and must be dealt with.
Some sections were so good that I couldn't put it down. The description of Willie Stark (the Governor) and his actions are riveting. His understanding of the nature of people and his incredible way of putting the descriptions into words is awe inspiring. I just love to hear him talk. The narator himself (Jack Burden) starts out just a boring cynical blob, but eventually shows you enough of his life that you really start to like him. But somehow he always seems above the fray, maybe because he just doesn't seem to care about anything and can thus cannot be hurt. His historical/dectective work uncovering a political payoff from 25 years ago is surprisingly engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Incredible plots twists in chapter 8 and 9. It's amazing how well the author set them up and executed them. I didn't see most of them coming at all.
Here's a quote you see at least 4 times in the book:
"Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something."
and here's another good one:
"I never asked you to frame anybody -- you don't have to. There is always something."
I didn't exactly fly through it, but I didn't count the pages until the finish either. About half of it was really great, but in some sections the author spends a little too much time explaining what falling in love with a girl named Ann Stanton at 21/17 felt like. Yes it's central to the story, but I just took a little too long.
That's why I only gave this book 4 monkeys instead of the full five.